Disappointed with professional ceramic coating

[Thorbeast]

Last fall I had my truck buffed, full paint correction and professionally ceramic coated. Definitely has not even come close to what I expected. Initially it had great shine, but it never seemed any different than just a freshly waxed truck.

Fast forward 18,000 miles and I finally decided I was just going to wax it since I feel like the ceramic coating isn't doing anything. I am **** about keeping my truck clean, washing it properly and always using quality products. Quickly realized tonight there's tons of small scratches, chips, and other blemishes on the bumper and lower half of the sides of the truck.

Now while this normally would be expected, it's not at all what I expected to find after having it ceramic coated. I am the kind that doesn't mind waxing my truck every couple weeks if needed so at this point I feel like that's what I should have been doing the whole time.

Am I being overly critical? I know the tires will kick stuff up, they're 20x10 -18 but I also have fender flares on it. I anticipated that which is why I had the paint correction and ceramic coating done.

 

[McBroom]

@Pull Ya could probably help you the best here in this situation

Blue Mule

 

[buddy guy]

I follow the first scratch is the worst philosophy..and promptly backed into a concrete post to get the first one (ok..i admit i got that fixed. Couldn't live that dent). But since, slowly but surely, little chips, scratches here and there. I keep a few bottles of scratch remover handy as well as a proper mopar touch up pen. I live with the daily hazards that are bound to happen & park a ways out in parking lots[emoji2]

Sent from my SM-N960W using Tapatalk

 

[chrisbh17]

Ceramic coating will NOT stop chips, etc. It is a good protector for the occasional "brushed by the truck too closely", and it will help prevent wash-induced-marring (i.e. swirls), but actual impact stuff it wont protect against. You need an actual barrier for that, like paint protection film.

All 3 of our vehicles (including my RAM) are coated. 2 with 22PLE HPC and 1 with OptiCoat Pro.

I recently re-coated my car, and after I had polished it down and there was no coating, it was clear just how easy it would mar up....I literally brushed by it with jeans on and left a mark. Once it was coated, that does not happen anymore. Would a wax or sealant prevent it as well? Not sure, but since I would put the same amount of prep work into wax or sealant, I figure its just a materials cost difference to "upgrade" to a coating.

All 3 of our vehicles, even coated, have paint protection film on the front end. 1 of them I had a complete bumper, hood and fender package installed. The other 2 have "half" packages (complete bumper, halfway up the hood and fenders). Thats the only real way to protect from impacts like rocks, sand, etc.

 

[Pull Ya]

IMHO--ceramic coating is not designed to protect the paint from rock chips and scratches. It is more of a paint protectant that will protect the paint from environmental issues, stains, and etching. You can put wax over many ceramic coating if you like, however, I think that the wax will become a sacrificial layer as it will not bond to the coating. The wax will in some cases give the paint a little more depth and/or gloss but the protection will be minimal. Many people also believe that after a vehicle has been ceramic coated that the surface does not have to be maintained as well as before it was coated. The vehicle still has to be washed properly and maintained but waxing it is no longer a requirement to protect the painted surface. Many people also think that the coating will completely prevent any scratches so they start to use the drive-thru car washes(I call them tunnels of destruction) and when their vehicle gets all scratched up they wonder why. I am not saying any of the above-mentioned scenarios are what has happened to you I am just outlining some of the misconceptions of what a ceramic coating will and will not do. I'm sorry you are having problems, I think I would have the truck corrected to remove all the scratches and then decide whether you want to have another coating done or just return to sealing and waxing your truck. You might also consider an invisible bra material for the front end and around the wheel wells. That is what I did to my truck. It will help prevent some small rock chips.
Jay

 

[McBroom]

^^^He's the GURU^^^

Blue Mule

 

[Thorbeast]

Thanks for all the input guys! I would just like to keep the paint in the best condition I can for as long as possible. Could that film be applied to the bottom half of the doors or the entire door? I know a lot of the damage comes from what the tires kick up.


I always hand wash the truck and have been super picky about it. I think I was just over sold on what the ceramic coating could actually do. I had them do the entire truck and the wheels. The wheels definitely show regular wear and swirls.

I'll do some thinking and see if I want to get it corrected again. I want to keep it in good condition as long as possible

 

[buddy guy]

You can apply it anywhere. Its not indestructible. I had my whole front end done and I've had a few spots where its dented or actually punctured by little stones. Joy of coming out of winter and crape left on the highways. But it sure helps a bunch. There are different quality levels of it. Mine was like a mid-high quality package. All in all, I'm happy with it.

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[Pull Ya]

Quick question---Do you use the 2 bucket method of washing your truck? The protective "bra" can be put anywhere you want it. They usually cut the pieces from a computer image of your truck. You can do the whole front end including the hood, the fenders, the doors, the area around the wheel wells--almost anything you want----the downside is if you get a quality product, it ain't cheap. The installation is the most important step so pick your installer wisely. If you decide to remove the coating and go back to the "old fashion" way of maintaining your finish, the coating needs to be removed by a buffer and polish. The coating will have to be removed where you install the invisible bra anyway.
Jay

 

[chrisbh17]

Point of reference - this was my car (that I still have and recently coated myself with 22PLE). It was originally coated with OptiCoat 1.0, but after leaving it for a service at the dealer, they ignored my "DO NOT WASH MY CAR" advice. The result (the half/half pics are the most telling):

https://www.facebook.com/Explicit-D.../photos/?tab=album&album_id=10152137312332670

So, coating can HELP but it will not prevent stupidity. Still need to use good washing techniques, especially on a dark color.

I actually got them to pay for a complete paint correction and re-coat. Ever since then, if one of my vehicles ends up at a dealer, I have signs hanging from the steering wheel, rear view mirror and on each window (windshield included) that says "DO NOT WASH". If they are stupid enough to ignore the computer record that says it AND the 8 signs in the vehicle, they sure as hell will be paying for a fix.

 

[CheechDogg.0n37s]

I am going to flat out say this .... many places really "DO NOT" apply any ceramic coating to their customer's vehicles and if they do they do it incorrectly .....

I have seen a lot of friends cars and trucks that were taken to get ceramic coated by certified dealers and when they get it back they have no ceramic coating at all ...

You are better doing this type of paint protection yourselves than trusting some so called professional certified dealer or shop ... You can always get a digital test to see if there is actually any ceramic coating on it ...

Doing it yourself is simple, yes it is time consuming but in the end you get a lot of gratification knowing you did it yourself and it was actually done ...

 

[chrisbh17]

I am going to flat out say this .... many places really "DO NOT" apply any ceramic coating to their customer's vehicles and if they do they do it incorrectly .....

I have seen a lot of friends cars and trucks that were taken to get ceramic coated by certified dealers and when they get it back they have no ceramic coating at all ...

You are better doing this type of paint protection yourselves than trusting some so called professional certified dealer or shop ... You can always get a digital test to see if there is actually any ceramic coating on it ...

Doing it yourself is simple, yes it is time consuming but in the end you get a lot of gratification knowing you did it yourself and it was actually done ...

Unfortunately, this!

Ive never taken my vehicles to a shop for detailing. The guy that fixed my G (check my previous post) was a mobile detailer so he was in my driveway. I trusted him already, but was able to watch his process and for sure he put OptiCoat on it. But the reality is that most of his labor and cost is in the correction. The actual coating application takes minutes...its the 3+ hours of correction time leading up to it that is worth the $$$.

I used him for my wifes new car and referred him to a bunch of people and family members. He did spectacular work for all of them, and all of them understood the "value" in the price (even if it at first they thought it was high).

 

[Thorbeast]

I am going to flat out say this .... many places really "DO NOT" apply any ceramic coating to their customer's vehicles and if they do they do it incorrectly .....

I have seen a lot of friends cars and trucks that were taken to get ceramic coated by certified dealers and when they get it back they have no ceramic coating at all ...

You are better doing this type of paint protection yourselves than trusting some so called professional certified dealer or shop ... You can always get a digital test to see if there is actually any ceramic coating on it ...

Doing it yourself is simple, yes it is time consuming but in the end you get a lot of gratification knowing you did it yourself and it was actually done ...

Unfortunately this has been my fear. I'd like to think not, but you never know. Because honestly my experience with this ceramic coating has been that it's 100% a waste of money and you're better off with just a regular wax. Even my wheels they did are all scratched up.


I just looked at the xpel protective film. The nearest authorized dealer is almost $3k for the front bumper, hood, fenders, rockers and front doors. And that would be after a paint correction. Ouch

 

[Pull Ya]

Keeping your truck nice is not cheap---but damn it is satisfying and every time someone looks at your truck and says something like "Nice truck" the pain of the cost goes down.
Jay